Amazon’s Kuiper Satellites will Provide a Starlink Substitute

Amazon plans to launch its first batch of Kuiper satellites into orbit Next week, marking the first time a US supplier is offering a substitute for SpaceX’s Starlink service.

On April 28, 2025, Amazon’s 27 satellites will launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from the United Launch Alliance. After six years of development, Project Kuiper will be the first of 83 scheduled launches that would eventually place more than 3,200 communication satellites in low-Earth orbit. Customers will be able to get broadband internet using those satellites.

In addition to offering service in remote locations, Project Kuiper aims to eventually bring broadband connectivity to at least 400 million households. But in order to accomplish that, more than 3,000 satellites must be launched.

Australia will be among the first nations to have access to Amazon’s satellite internet service, which is scheduled to launch next year, according to earlier statements.

Weather postpones the launch date

Amazon had hoped that April 9 would be the date of the rocket launch. But that strategy was derailed by inclement weather.

New launch date:

If everything goes according to plan, the Altas 5 rocket will lift off from Cape Canaveral on April 29 at approximately 9:00 a.m. (AEST). In three orbital levels, Amazon plans to position the satellites in 98 orbital planes at altitudes of 590, 610, and 630 kilometers.

The launch will follow a northeast trajectory, putting the 27 satellites into a circular orbit at an initial altitude of 450 kilometers and an angle of 51.9 degrees to the equator.

Five GEM-63 solid rocket boosters and a medium-length payload fairing of 5.4 meters in width have been installed on the Atlas V rocket by United Launch Alliance. The rocket may launch as many Kuiper satellites into orbit with this configuration.

The original Kuiper constellation will communicate with both user terminals and gateways using Ka-band frequencies, unlike Starlink. Over the more populated regions of Earth, the constellation’s authorized orbits provide concentrated coverage.

The first 578 satellites will enter operational orbits, and Kuiper will begin service. There will be five stages to the constellation’s deployment.